Closure for jars and the like



Sept. 5, 1944. G. GLOCKER CLOSURE FOR JARS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 23, '1940 GUST/IVE GCQCKE/G Patented Sept. 5, 1944" 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,357,322 cnosrmn FOR JARS AND THE LIKE Gustave Glcker,-Was'hington, D. 0., assignor to Super-Seal Container Corporation, Washington, D. 0.

Application December 23, 1940, Serial No. 371,418

2 Claims.

This invention relates to so-called self-sealin containers adapted to be maintained in sealed condi ion solely by atmospheric pressure.

In the construction of containers of this gen-.

, ing contact between a deformable gasket and the container .parts through a wedging or compressing force exerted against the gasket. Container' seals operating on the foregoing principle have met with indifferent commercial success because of manufacturing limitations which preclude quantity production of containers which fully meet the requirements as to precision. This has been particularly true of containers manufactured of glass or other plastic materials wherein the exact size and shape cannot be controlled Within very narrow limits.

In my prior application, Serial No. 306,746, filed November 29, 1939, now Patent No. 2,280,070, dated April 21, 1942,I have disclosed a container which embodies a new principle of operation, effectively eliminating th e necessity of providing a precise interfitting of the several parts. The container shown inthat application provides a lid for the open mouth of the container and a. gasket or sealing member carried by the lid, which sealing member hasa leading edge afiording a relatively narrow line area for contact with an annular shoulder provided internally of the container near the mouth thereof. That construction eliminates the necessity of precise interfitting and, in fact, is designed to provide a clearance between the outer surface .of the sealing member and the adjacent wall of the container. This latter construction is rendered possible by the improved valve-like sealing efiect viding a container lid with a face portion which is adapted to enter the mouth of a container and expel therefrom any 'air which might otherwise be entrapped therein. The construction is suchthat clearance between the outer face of a lid-' carried sealing gasket and the inner wall of the container mouth permits the lid face to expel mechanically substantially the ntire amount of air which might be present above substance within the container before the sealing gasket be- .comes deformed into contact with the wall of the container at its mouth. This and other objects of the invention and advantages inherent therein will become apparent as the detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical view through a container and lid thereon constructed in accordance with the invention, and showing the position 'of the several parts prior to the sealing thereof; and

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1,'showing the several parts after the'sealing thereof.

In the drawing, wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts, is shown a container comprising a body portion l0, which is provided with a mouth having a wall I2 terminating in an annular shoulder I4 which is adapted to seat the inner edge of a sealing member carried ,by-the lid. The lid l6 has an annular groove I8 spacedinwardly from its peripheral edge. The groove I8 is adapted to seat the outer edge of a sealing member. A sealing member 20 has its outer.

edge 22 seated-in the groove l8. The proportions of the sealing member 20 are such as to provide a snug fit between the outer faces thereof and the side walls of the lid which define the groove I8.

The lid I6 is provided with a backing wall 24 which depends from the body of the lid, and the p outer wall of which may define the inner wall of the'groove l8. The backing wall or member 24 is adapted to aiford support to the sealing member 20 throughout a major portion of its area. 4

The inner edge 26 of the sealing member 20 is provided with a leading portion 28 which normally extends beyond the body of the sealing member so as to adapt said leading portion to contact the annular shoulder l4 prior to contact of the outer side 30 thereof with the wall l2 at the mouth of the receptacle during sealingop A erations. The position and width, of the groove 18 in the lid 16 are so arranged with respect to the walls at the mouth of the container to provide a slight clearance lbetween the outer face 30 of the sealing member 20 and the wall l2 defining the mouth of the container. p

' evacuation of air from the.container.

By reference to Figure 1 of the drawing it will be seen that the leading portion 28 at the inner edge 26 of. the sealing member is in contact with the annular shoulder M in such manner as to provide a relatively narrow line contact around the entire circumference of the annular shoulder l4. At the .same time it will be noted that a small annular space remains between the outer face 30 of the sealing member 20 and the mouth defining wall I2 of the container.

Upon contact of the leading portion 28 with the annular shoulder 14 an immediate seal is provided between the cover l6 and the container II]. This relatively narrow line annular seal functions effectively as a, valve during the egress of air, vapors, or liquids, from within the container. The ebulation of hot substances within the container or substances heated in the container will be effective to lift the lid I 6 sufliciently to permit escape of air and vapors from within the container. Upon the escape of such air, vapors and liquid, and upon the release of internal pressure, the lid. IE will return immediately and under its own weight to a position wherein the leading portion 28 of the edge 26 again contacts throughout the circumference of the annular shoulder l4 form. an effective seal.

The free movement during the placement of the lid l6 upon the mouth of the container I6 and during the escape of air, vapor or liquid from the interior of the container I6 is permitted by the clearance between the outer face 30 of the sealing member 26 and the wall defining the mouth of the container. This clearance insures, among other things, that the sealing member 20 and particularly the leading portion 28 of the edge thereof is seated against the shoulder at all times. The clearance eliminates all possibility of improper fitting of the cover l6 on the mouth of the container.

In Figure 2 of the drawing is shown the position of the lid IS with respect to the mouth of the container and the shape and position of the sealing member 2 6.with respect to the container and lid.Wal1s adjacent thereto after the container has been at least partially evacuated and atmospheric pressure has become effective to hold the lid l6 so tightly on the mouth of the container ID as to deform the elastic sealing member 26 against the aforesaid members of the lid and container to provide an effective seal. The seal tl'ius affixed is maintained until the same has be'n deliberately broken and atmospheric pressure has been admitted to the container.

In order to release the lid I6 after the same has once been firmly seated upon the mouth of the container Hi, there has been provided a pasv sageway extending through the zone occupied by the seal ng member 26, such passageway being adapted to receive and guide a piercing tool efiective to permit ingress of atmosphere.

In the drawing is shown a recess 34, which is formed in the underside of the peripheral flange of the lid Hi. This passageway 34 is located at a point below the bottom of the groove l8 and in alignment with a-passage 36 formed in the depending wall 24. The passage 36 opens downwardly into the container in when the lid is applied thereto for the purpose of permitting the free flow of external atmosphere through the passage 34 and into the container when the sealing member 20 has been pierced by any suitable piercing instrument.

In my prior construction I have embodied successful and commercial features but I have found that occasionally a slight amount of air has been entrapped between the lid and the top of the substance being packed in the container.

In order to mechanically and effectively expel all of the air which might otherwise be entrapped under the lid after same has been applied so as to prevent possible contamination of the contents of the container and for the further purpose of permitting a; greater and more effective vacuum to be induced within the jar, there is provided a face portion 36 on the lid 16 which is adapted to enter the mouth of the jar prior to such contact of the sealing member 20 with the annular wall M as to deform the sealing member. The face portion 36 may lie in a substantially horizontal plane and may be contiguous with the depending member 24 of the lid, and the same may be formed on a convex line such as shown in the drawing. In order to eliminate any possibility of a portion of the face 36 or of the depending wall 24 coming in contact with the annular shoulder l4, the face 36 has been joined to the depending member 24 by means of an annular offset 38. The offset 38 permits the face 36 of the lid to pass freely within the diameter of the annular shoulder l4 and thereby precludes such contact between these points which might otherwise prevent the face 36 from entering the mouth of the jar to a depth effective to expel atmosphere or excess amount of liquid or vapors found therein.

It is to be noted that the construction is such that the face 36 lies in substantially the horizontal plane of the annular shoulder l4, and in most cases portions thereof lie below this plane upon the placement of the lid on the container mouth, and before the deformable sealing gasket 26 has been compressed to an extent which would bring the outer wall 30 thereof into contact with the wall l2 at the mouth of the container. This relationship of parts permits the valve-like action of the gasket 26 to remain operative to allow egress of superfluous air, vapor or liquid in the mouth of the container.

Having now described the invention, it is manifest that the practise thereof shall include obvious modifications and that no limitation shall be .put thereon other than those that may be imposed in the following claims.

I claim: i

1. The combination of a container including a body having a mouth provided with a wall terminating in an annular shoulder internally of said container, a lid for saidcontainer having means adapted to seat the edge of asealing member, a sealing member having its outer edge seated by said means and ha ing an inner edge adapted to contact said annular shoulder, said sealing member having a smaller normal outer diameter than the diameter of the wall at said mouth whereby the inner edge of said sealing member is adapted to contact said annular shoul-' der prior to contact of the outside thereof with the wall at said mouth, a sealing member support depending from said lid to a point adjacent the inner edge of said sealing member, and a face portion at the inner extremity of said supporting member extending below the inner edge of said sealing member, said face having a minimum diameter substantially as great as the eontainer at said annular shoulder and having a' depth sufliciently great to permit the positioning of said face at least in the horizontal plane of said annular shoulder upon contact of the inner edge of said sealing member with said shoulder and prior to deformation of said sealing member and being'adapted to lie in a substantially horizontal plane slightly below the plane of said shoulder when said lid is in container sealing position.

2. The combination of a container including a body having a mouth provided with a wall terminating in an annular shoulder internally of said container, a lid for said container having means adapted to seat the edge of a sealing member, a sealing member havingits outer edge seated by said means and having an inner edge adapted to contact said annular shoulder, said sealing member having a smaller normal outer diameter than the diameter of the wall at said mouth whereby the inner edge of said sealing member is adapted to contact said annular shoulder prior to contact of the outside thereof with the wall at said mouth, a sealing member support depending from said lid to a point adjacent the inner edge of said sealing member, and an shoulder upon contact of the inner edge of said sealing member with said shoulder and prior to deformation of said sealing member and being adapted to lie in a substantially horizontal plane slightly below the plane of said shoulder when said lid is in container sealing position.

GUSTAVE GLOCKER. 

